DNA: the Secret of Life.JAMES D. WATSON James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA. Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for their discoveries concerning the WITH ANDREW BERRY Marking the 50th anniversary of the famous declaration that DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. is a double helix double helix n. The coiled structure of a double-stranded DNA molecule in which strands linked by hydrogen bonds form a spiral configuration. Also called DNA helix, Watson-Crick helix. , Watson Wat·son , James Dewey Born 1928. American biologist who with Francis Crick proposed a spiral model, the double helix, for the molecular structure of DNA. He shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for advances in the study of genetics. reflects not only on how he and Francis Crick made the discovery, but also on how DNA has moved from an esoteric pursuit of a few scientists to the heart of science and technology today. The authors lay out the basics of genetics, as well as the ethical and social dilemmas that vex Watson and other scientists studying genes and DNA. Watson staunchly supports virtually all lines of DNA research, including controversial ones such as genetic modification of crops and genetic fingerprinting. Beyond its wide scope, what makes this text extraordinary is its accessibility even to readers with little background in biology. Every term is explained as it's introduced, and a companion Web site provides further information for those who need it. Knopf, 2003, 446 p., color/b&w photos/illus., hardcover, $39.95. |
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